John Kuntz, The Plain DealerBrowns fans have remained loyal though the team has lost 65 percent of its games over the last 19 seasons -- counting the six seasons prior to former owner Art Modell moving the original Browns to Baltimore.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns begin their third session of "Organized Team Activities" on Tuesday. OTAs will run through Friday.

Often, it seems the team gets off scot-free, year-after-year retaining the fans' loyalty despite failed showings on the field.

The Browns are coming off a 4-12 season and are a combined 18-46 over the last four campaigns. They are 68-140 since returning to the NFL as a franchise in 1999, with one playoff appearance.

Counting the final six seasons (1990-95) prior to former owner Art Modell moving the team to Baltimore, the Browns have won 107 games, lost 197 and made the playoffs twice.

The Browns and their fans enjoyed some exciting and rather successful seasons during stretches of the 1970s and 1980s. Maybe no fact, though, best captures the team's long-term frustrations (besides never playing in a Super Bowl) than this:

The last time the Browns won a playoff game on the road was 43 years ago.

Why then, at this point, would measuring the success of the Browns by expecting a playoff berth be that far out of the question? I’d pose that it’s not out of the question.

However, entering the playoff discussion cannot happen unless the Browns can win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. That, though, is easier said than done.

For years, Browns fans have been waiting for the right time when talent and opportunity meet. This year, aging Steelers and Ravens defenses may be primed to fall. Have the Browns added enough firepower to exploit this potential fall-off in the division?

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